Tag Archives: birding

First Impressions

Posted on May 2, 2024 by rivertoprambles

1. It was the end of April, and I fished the Founders’ Rod for lake trout at the northern end of Seneca Lake. The Founders’ Rod is the Slate Run Sportsmen’s Heddon bamboo that once belonged to a founding father … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Belize, birding, Central America, culture, fishing, Guatemala, history, impressions, Mayans, nature, rainforest, travel, tropics, writing | 8 Comments

Between Every Two Pine Trees…

Posted on March 17, 2024 by rivertoprambles

“Between every two pine trees is a doorway to a new world,” said John Muir, and so begins my newly published 75-page book of poetry entitled Between Two Pines, just issued by FootHills Publishing. I’m proud of this collection, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Between Two Pines, birding, fly fishing, nature, photos, poetry, Spring, Walt Franklin, writing | 17 Comments

Iceland, an Intro

Posted on July 26, 2023 by rivertoprambles

[It’s taken me a while to process recollections from a recent visit to the beautiful country of Iceland but I’m working on them and now offer something of an intro to July’s visit there, accompanied by Alyssa and Leighanne. Following … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged birding, camping, glacier, hiking, icebergs, Iceland, nature, travel, volcano, waterfall, writing | 16 Comments

A Blue Jay Way

Posted on May 11, 2023 by rivertoprambles

I’m not sure how George Harrison arrived at his lyrical “Blue Jay Way,” but I arrived at mine by heading down to metro Pittsburgh for a Pirates game against the Toronto Blue Jays (the latter slightly favored by most of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged aviary, baseball, birding, Blue Jays, family, fireworks, fly-fishing, hemlocks, Laurel Hill State Park, nature, Pirates, Spruce Bog, travel | 18 Comments

A Diminished Thing

Posted on September 23, 2022 by rivertoprambles

On the last full day of summer, I experienced a somewhat inspirational event. It was a simple event but one that I could not have known earlier this year, prior to surgery on my spine in August. My brother and … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged birding, camping, hiking, Loyalsock Creek, poetry, Robert Frost, The Oven Bird, Time, World's End State Park, writing | 18 Comments

Newfoundland, Part 4, Conclusion

Posted on July 23, 2022 by rivertoprambles

First of all, we boarded ship with about 30 other passengers at O’Brien’s Boat Tours for a two-hour ride on the Atlantic in search for whales and puffins. Back at St. Johns, the manager at our boarding house had told … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Atlantic, birding, boating, dolphins, family, nature, Newfoundland, puffins, Screech, Screeched-in, travel, whales, writing | 20 Comments

Newfoundland, Part 3

Posted on July 22, 2022 by rivertoprambles

On our trans-island route to the eastern peninsulas of Newfoundland, we passed a lot of tempting trout and salmon rivers. Eventually we would meet Atlantic Dave, a white-haired boat tour captain and a former teacher now living in Terwillengate, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Atlantic Ocean, birding, boating, culture, eagles, family, fishing, guiding, nature, Newfoundland, travel | 14 Comments

Newfoundland, Part 2

Posted on July 20, 2022 by rivertoprambles

The Tablelands at Gros Morne National Park (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), north of Corner Brook (see map), are dry red-rock formations uplifted from the Earth’s mantle. The natural mineral, periditite, is poisonous for most vegetation, with a few exceptions. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged birding, boating, camping, fishing, Gros Morne NP, hiking, nature, Newfoundland, photograpy, Pissing Mare Falls, Tablelands, travel, writing | 15 Comments

Newfoundland, Part 1

Posted on July 17, 2022 by rivertoprambles

The long drive north from Rhode Island to the Nova Scotia ferry crossing was a difficult journey for a guy with upcoming back surgery, but the overall trip was wonderful. With my wife and my daughter catching up on sleep … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged birding, Canada, dining, fishing, Gros Morne N.P., hiking, nature, Newfoundland, puffins, Tablelands, travel | 27 Comments

Cloud Forest/ Coffee House (Costa Rica #4)

Posted on September 17, 2021 by rivertoprambles

[For this fourth and final post directly relating to a recent trip to Costa Rica, I’m departing from a previous chronological narrative and incorporating a thematic approach including cloud-forest hikes and patio meditations. I hope that you’ve enjoyed the tour….] … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged biodiversity, birding, cloud forest, Costa Rica #4, hiking, hummingbirds, Monteverde, nature, Santa Elena, travel, writing | 22 Comments